The present invention relates to idler rollers for conveyors, and in particular to a multi-piece shaft assembly for use with idler rollers.
Conveyors are used frequently in the mining industry for transporting large quantities of a substance. Conveyors typically include a conveyor belt that is advanced by a plurality of idler rollers. The idler rollers are supported by a frame and rotate about a shaft.
Idler roller assemblies often each include a unique shaft attachment configuration. Therefore, manufacturing a shaft is performed on dedicated equipment that makes it very expensive and difficult to manufacture alternate shaft types (e.g., shafts with a different length, diameter or end piece configuration). Adapters that enable one type of shaft to be inserted into an idler roller assembly that would otherwise accept a different type of shaft are expensive and therefore, not a cost effective solution.